Enrollment Policies
Enrollment Policies and Administrative Guidelines
Student Course Selection
You have the flexibility to choose the VHS Learning courses in which your students enroll, and which students will be allowed to take VHS Learning courses. Some schools open the entire VHS Learning catalog to any student wishing to take a course. Others have a rigorous application process for students enrolling in VHS Learning classes. The choice is yours. Just be sure to keep in mind the following policies and guidelines when making your decision.
Student Add Period and Academic Schedule
Students and instructors participating in VHS Learning courses follow the VHS Learning academic calendar. Students enrolling in VHS Learning fall, spring, or full-year courses may be enrolled in courses through the last day of the VHS Learning add period. The VHS Learning add period ends one week after the semester start dates in both fall and spring. Both fall and full-year courses follow the fall add period.
Online Course Credit
Participating schools grant students credit for taking VHS Learning courses. VHS Learning courses should receive the same credit and be listed on the student transcript in the same way as any other course offered at the school. VHS Learning gives 0.5 credits for semester courses and 1.0 credits for full-year courses. Participating schools translate VHS Learning credit into the appropriate local school credit.
Transcripts
Individual tuition and summer school students receive a VHS Learning transcript at the end of the course. A transcript is also sent to the student's school. Professional development participants receive a certificate of completion at the end of each course, listing the number of professional development hours completed. Students taking courses through VHS Learning member schools receive grades on their local school transcripts as reported by their VHS Learning site coordinator. Site coordinators have the option to print a transcript for their students from the VHS Learning faculty web site.
Online Course Levels
All VHS Learning Online Courses are categorized as Standard, Honors, or Advanced Placement level, and the level of each course is indicated in the course catalog. The VHS Learning catalog also contains prerequisite skills and course grade level. Site coordinators and students should review course level, grade level, and perquisites closely prior to enrolling in any VHS Learning course, to ensure course requirements are met.
Instructional Materials
Texts and instructional materials for each online course and the costs of these materials are the responsibilities of the school offering the course. Once course registration is finalized, the site coordinator of the school offering the course will mail any physical materials required to the site coordinator of each student attending the course. Each school site coordinator will have responsibility for distributing materials to enrolled students and for returning materials for students who have withdrawn. The schools receiving these materials are accountable for return postage, as well as any loss or damage to these materials, and their students will be held accountable for any loss or damage in the same manner they are held accountable for any other school materials.
Nondiscrimination
All schools enrolling students in VHS Learning must be in compliance with all Federal Civil Rights legislation. Title VI of the Civil Right Act of 1964 protects individuals from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ensures that no person shall, on the basis of gender, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any federally-assisted program. In addition, state civil rights legislation also applies to VHS Learning courses. Compliance with all civil rights legislation will be the responsibility of each school, and complaints should be filed with each school and should follow the school's grievance procedure.
Staffing Requirements for Full Participation
Fully participating schools provide an online course instructor and a school site coordinator and pay an annual membership fee to enroll students in VHS Learning. Online course instructors should be free for the equivalent of 20% of their full time work week (.2 FTE) to teach their course. We strongly recommend that the school free a regular full-time teacher from one period of teaching duties to meet this requirement. If a teacher cannot be freed from one period of teaching duties, a stipend may be offered to the teacher as an alternative. Schools may use their seats in any VHS Learning course, assuming the course has openings and the student meets the course prerequisites. Schools may distribute these seats as they see fit. For example, the same student taking two different courses in one semester uses two seats.
Staffing Requirements for Student-Only Participation
Schools may elect to enroll students in VHS Learning without sponsoring a course. In addition to paying the membership fee, student-only schools provide a site coordinator. The site coordinator is responsible for coordinating VHS Learning efforts within the school and is the primary contact with administration.